Honour Among Thieves
by RaNdOmNeShUrTsMyHeAd
Summary: Autumn Halliwell was born and raised in a con family. Now her best friend is in danger, and she's willing to do anything she can to get him out of the trouble he's gotten himself in.
1. Prologue

**_So haven't written in a long time and I wanted to test this out. Please tell me what you all think. By the way this story (all character, plots, and anything else having to do with what I wrote) belongs to me Randomneshurtsmyhead. Thanks and I hope you enjoy._**

**_Prologue_**

_October 4__th__ 1997_

_Saturday Afternoon_

Wind wafted gently through the graveyard, spreading the smell of lilacs and lilies. Charlie was standing just outside the fence of the cemetery. No one but the preacher was speaking. He heard no sobs, no real mourning. A cloud of red hair stood around the casket, like a ring of mushrooms, surrounded by friends.

Bowing his head, Charlie thought of his younger sister. A streak of blond hair, hazel eyes, and a cheeky smile whenever she was caught doing something wrong; which was rare since she was seldom caught. She was a match. Laura would want something and like a match she would begin a bright flame, only to flicker and die.

Her eighth birthday she, along with her brothers, had gone onto a quest with their father. It was her first job; the joy in her eyes vivid as a twinkling star. Laura, Bill, Charlie, and their father had walked into the Louvre a happy family, and walked out with thirty million more reasons to be happier. It was a high like no other; the thrill of the game. For thieves that played the respectable game, it was all for the chase. From the moment Laura had pulled off her first heist, it was clear that she too was truly a con artist, just like the rest of the Halliwell clan.

Years passed; Charlie, Laura, and Bill continued to grow, and with them their legends expanded. Soon the family name was well earned. There was no other crew like the Halliwell's crew. A crew consisting of the Blackthorns clan, O'Brien clan, Halliwell clan, as well as the Gray clan had almost no competition.

All of it changed one night. Laura had gone off on her own, trying to prove that she could pull a con off on her own. It was certainly stressful being the only lady among a family of con men. So the following nights, she planned out her job to the very last detail. She had forgotten one important aspect though. Maxwell Winters. Dressed in her stolen blue lace ball gown, and pale gold jewels, she was a vision of beauty. Her aim was not to be missed, and she most certainly was not. A forged invitation, charming smile, along with a n innocent look Laura found no trouble gaining entrance.

That morning Laura had returned home to find Charlie and Bill waiting up for her. On the center of the round table in the kitchen, she dropped the fist sized diamond necklace worth ninety million. History repeated itself as another beautiful blonde woman left the Halliwell men for a greater future. Two years later and Charlie was finally being reunited with his lost sister. The only issue being that now she was lying under layers of dirt, while he blended in with the shadows, for he wasn't even allowed attending his dear sisters funeral.

Vision blurred with tears, Charles looked up at the crowd of the privileged. A head of red hair moved away from the crowd slipping away like mist. Squinting, he saw a flash of the red haired man's face. Christopher Winters, Max's brother. '_Surely, Christopher should still be with his family, but why is he leaving?'_ Charlie thought to himself.

Slithering through the tall grass, Charles shadowed the younger devious brother. Chris left on foot, not bothering to flag down a cab. Shoulders hunched, head down, he zigzagged through the usual sea of people in London walking five feet ahead of Charlie. Suddenly halting, Chris looked around, than turned right into an old bookstore. Charlie strolled to the window, peering in. Chris was following an old woman to the back room, leaving the front empty. Pulling the door open, the bell jingled, causing Charles to cringe as he walked into the musty old store. Books lined the walls, floor to ceiling. Dust floated through the room, tempting Charlie to sneeze. A welcome mat decorated with swirling flowers asked him to enter the store. Cautiously moving into the antique store, he strained to hear what was happening in the back room. Just as he was getting close enough to listen in, Christopher blew through to the front room, the crinkled old woman following him. Charles ducked his head, turning into a bookshelf, as Chris strode through the door.

Doing his best to hide his face from the old women, Charlie slipped out the door, following the fishy character known as Christopher Winters. He seemed to be carrying something. Closer and closer they walked to the brownstone, when suddenly Chris turned a corner and stopped at a hidden alley. Shuffling the rubbish among other things, he placed a wrapped bundle next to the wall, hidden by the filth. Charlie blended into the buildings as the youngest Winters passed and left. Charles lingered around the corner, watching the red headed man disappear into the crowd.

He walked to the spot where Chris had dropped off the bundle, moved the rubbish aside, and gasped. A head of autumn red hair and big bright hazel eyes lay on the grubby ground. Christopher Winters had just abandoned a baby. Reaching down, he grabbed the baby bundled in silk white blankets and held her in his lean arms. Cradled in his arms Laura's baby gazed up at him. Curls of red hair covered her head as her hazel eyes chipped with blue stared in wonder.

Quiet as a cat hunting a mouse, Charles turned and walked out of the hidden alley towards his house, away from the alley where the child had been left to die. He stared down at her in wonder. He couldn't fathom how someone could be so cruel to leave a newborn child to die in the cold, but then again the Winters weren't known for their kindness.

How was Charles going to explain this to his brother? The day Laura had left, Bill had stated she no longer belonged to the Halliwell family. Still this was his sister's daughter, and he could not bear to leave this innocent child to die. He would not give his brother the chance to send the child away. If the child was to leave, so would he.

Charlie weaved and slid through the cobbled streets, finally reaching the brownstone.

He swung the door open and crept into the kitchen. The orphan was quiet in his arms, sleeping soundlessly. Praying to the gods, he turned the corner to find his brother sitting at the table waiting for him. Narrowed eyes, and a frown upon his face, his brother was furious. Charlie steeled himself for what was about to come.

"Before you start yelling, keep in mind I have Laura's infant in my arms!" Charles warned while he walked backwards, trying to put as much space in-between them as possible in the tiny kitchen.

"Baby? That baby died in child birth you fool!" Fury rolled off Stephen Bill Halliwell in rolls.

"No she didn't Bill! They abandoned her in an alley. It appears now that Laura's dead Max Winters has decided to completely erase her existence, including his own child! What would you have done? Let the our own flesh and blood die?" Charlie was starting to shake. He did not want to lose this bundle in his arms. The baby had woken and was staring at him with those vividly familiar eyes. He felt trapped in her gaze, unable to let her go.

Bill was peering down at her now, and Charlie could see him staring to melt. '_Perhaps we could keep her' _Charlie thought.

"Why don't you go put her to bed in your room Charlie. I think we should call the rest of the family and discuss this with them."

"This is not for them to decide. She is our blood, so this is our decision. I vote we keep her. She needs a good home. Laura died giving birth to this child, and I know she abandoned us, but her child does not deserve to be left to die or to be raised by people who don't love her. If she goes, I go Bill." Charlie's tone was firm as iron. It was clear he would not budge.

"Well she's technically family…so I suppose it would only be right to keep her." With a triumphant grin Charlie took the bundle of red hair, hazel eyes, and pale porcelain skin to his room. He looked down once more, and thought again of the red in her hair, like red autumn leaves.

_'Autumn. Not a bad name.' _He thought to himself.


	2. A Smokey Meeting

_Chapter One_

_Friday Morning_

The wind blew hard against Autumn as she walked on the busy London street, spreading the scent of food from the food stands to her nostrils. As usual, people shoved her forward and backward, trying to get to their destinations. It was amazing she did not fall over. The bright red double decker buses that were filled to the brim with people zoomed on by, avoiding the miniature cars and the pedestrians. Somewhat clear air, a gloomy sky, and the uneven cobble stone ground gave her a sense of security and familiarity. This was the city she was born in, the city that she had always called home for nineteen years.

Taking a sharp left onto yet another busy street, heading for the museum at the end of the street. Large gardens filled with red and white flowers adorned the entrance of the museum. The building itself was a large white stone building whit the top floor structured like the Parthenon, but with large statues beneath the pillars. The building itself, while magnificent, was overwhelming. One could sit and stare at the creamy tiles, the vast decorative gardens, and even the pillars without becoming bored.

Autumn walked in the front entrance, not stopping to admire the cathedral like ceilings and the engraved gold walls, instead heading for the little information desk off to the side of the long hallway. One young short stubby man sat behind the tidy desk. He had brown shaggy hair, eyes that seemed to disregard everything they saw, and a freckled covered face.

Walking right up to his desk, she stood smack right in front of him. His eyes seemed to come alive when he saw her. He took a moment to take in her red hair, flecked with bits of gold, her hazel eyes, and worried expression. She forced tears to well up in her eyes as she slightly gasped in air, over and over again.

"Can I help you with something miss?" He finally asked.

"I can't find my little brother, and it was my job to watch him. Now he's gone for ever!" She cried, shaking her head as her tears flying over her cheeks.

"Oh don't cry! We'll find your brother! Don't you worry about that! I'll just call security…" But he stopped when he saw Autumn started sobbing.

"I already went to security! They told me that there wasn't anything they could do!" She pursed her lips, as if she was trying to keep her sobs to herself.

"Do not worry miss! I will go personally myself to speak with them." He nodded at her, and left for the security guard station two hallways away. Looking around, Autumn slid behind the desk, pulled off her charm bracelet, and revealed the hidden USB charm. She plugged it in and watched as the program loaded onto the laptop screen. She took out the tablet from her messenger bag, configured the devices, and pulled the USB out of the computer. The download was complete, and now Autumn had the entire security control system on her tablet.

She slid out from behind the desk, walking up the hallway and to the left wing. There she followed the path she saw from the screen held between her hands. Turning into a closed room, she switched pages on her tablet, and turned off the lights in the entire museum. Shrieks and voices filled the silence that had been enjoying only moments before. Smirking to herself, she pulled out her mini flashlight and went straight to the oil painting that had been created by one of the most famous masters, Leonardo De Vinci. Autumn's eyes gleamed in the darkness as she pressed another button on her tablet, making the motion sensors and the pressure sensors, as well as any other back up security measure, useless. She took the painting off the wall and walked over to the small closet she knew would be in the top right corner of the room. She opened the closet door just as the lights turned back on.

Her eyes widened; the tablet was no longer synced with the computer. Autumn knew this could only mean one thing; the computer program of Xander's had failed terribly. Footsteps echoed through the hallway outside the door, and Autumn did something she had never done before. She froze. She was unable to move when the guards threw the doors wide open. Autumn had just broken the first rule of being a thief. Do not get caught. Instead she had been caught with a million dollar painting in her hands, and a stupid look on her face.

The guards grasped her arms and marched her down the hallway, took a right, marched her right out the doors into the hands of the police. Three hours later after her interrogator had finished taking her statements, and she was now sitting in an iron cell, in the police station, next to a man mumbling to himself while rolling around in the fetal position. Autumn traced the brick walls delicately with her fingers. _'I am so screwed. If I get out of here I'm going to __**kill**__ Xander."_ She thought to herself.

"You're a sweet heart, honey." The fetal position man sat up, looking at her. Still continually rocking back and forth, he smiled crookedly to her. Autumn avoided looking at the gray haired psycho. She looked at the locked cell door. She could have picked her way out, but what would she do about all the police officers crawling around everywhere. There was not any point to getting her hopes up. She slouched down, pulling her knees to her chest, and settled in for the terrible experience she was sure was to befall her.

"My names Allen." He whispered at her. Suddenly, he turned to his right and bellowed out an ear-crushing scream. The guard ran in, yelling at him to stop. Autumn covered her ears, crawled into a corner, trying to get as far as the cell would allow her to be from her terrible cellmate. The wall was cold, slightly sticky, but she did not dare move any closer to the lunatic. She was shivering in her leggings and long shirt. _'If I'd known I was going to be arrested I would've dressed more appropriately.'_ She mused.

The guard was still yelling, but Autumn was not listening. He pulled out his keys and opened the jail cell, motioning her to go over to him. She hesitantly stood and tread carefully past Allen to the dark skinned guard. He grasped her arm, pulling her out of the cell, and away from the screaming middle-aged man. Instead of taking her to another cell, he walked her through the hallway, down past the police's desk- which were littered all over with papers among other things-, and to the lobby. Autumn looked around and saw her Uncle Charlie taking to a policewoman while grabbing her belongings. Dumbfounded, she broke free of the officer's grasp, and ran right at Charlie. He caught her in a hug, smiling into her head as she laughed.

"How di-" she started to ask before Charlie cut her off with a shake of his head. Curiosity overwhelmed Autumn, but she kept it at bay, for she was free as bird. Charlie finished signing some paper work, and together they walked hand in hand out of the station.

The fresh air hit Autumn like a nice wave at a beach. Breathing in deeply, she was thrilled she no longer smelt the putrid stench of criminals rotting away in a jail cell. Autumn to Charlie and looked at him as they walked the busy streets.

"Charlie? How did you get me out of jail?" They turned the corner onto a quiet street, which in London was hard to find. His expression closed off, and her instincts went on high alert. There was something Charlie was not telling her.

"I paid the bail." He said simply.

"Where did you get the money to pay bail? We might be thieves, but that doesn't mean we are rich. What happened Charlie?" She probed. If he gave her another vague answer she would have to jump in front of a car from all the frustration she was feeling.

"Its not important where I received the money, Autumn. It only matters that you are free and without a single charge. Anyway, what happened with the computer program Xander had made for you? Why did it shut off?" He was changing the subject, although Autumn was dying to know how he had managed to get her out of that hell hole, she adjusted to the conversations flow.

"I have no idea what happened. One minuet it was working perfectly without a glitch, and then in an instant it stopped working. I didn't have enough time to get out of there, let alone with the paining, and it seemed as if they knew exactly where I was going to be. I had turned off all the power and disabled the back up generators. Someone must have known about the job, and tipped of the museum of it." Worry occupied her expression.

"Well I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat." Charlie walked slightly faster, turning directions to go to the Japanese place three blocks away.

"I kind of need to head back to the brownstone and change clothes. It is a little freezing if you haven't noticed, and I'm in my gear, so I will meet you at the restaurant okay? Order my usual for me please!" Autumn flashed a smile and hurried off in the opposite direction.

As she was about to cross the street to catch the bus home an armored Escalade turned and stopped a foot in front of her. The door swung open, cigarette smoke blowing out of the car like a fog machine.

"Why don't you come and join me Autumn?" He spoke with a thick Irish accent, despite the fact that he probably had not been to Ireland in years. Autumn knew exactly who was inviting her- no telling her to get in his armored car and sit for a "chat". Knowing exactly how stupid she was being, she stepped through the doorway and sat down across the head of the Irish mob from New York, USA. She felt as if she had just stepped into a godfather movie. The smoke was so thick; she found it hard to keep herself from coughing. Tinted windows and buckets of Cuban cigar smoke made it hard for her to see the bone chilling man that sat across from her.

"You have a strange name. I assume you are called Autumn because of the colors in your hair." He was not asking, but stating. "Except for your hair, I swear I could be looking at your mother again."

Autumn was surprised to find herself completely calm, as if she usually sat down with mobsters once a week. She crossed her ankles, sitting straight up, for she was not the type to be intimidated. Still though, a creeping feeling of curiosity was coming over her; how, after all, did he know her mother?

"Do you know who I am, Autumn?" He blew another waft of cigarette smoke towards her, making her eyes sting like she had been holding them open without blinking for an hour.

"You are Jack McLain. May I ask why I am having the pleasure of your company?" She spoke quietly. Her voice was steady, as were her eyes, which stared in the direction the voice was coming from in the smoke cloud.

"I thought that perhaps the best person to ask where Oliver Collins is would be you since you two are as thick as thieves." He chuckled at his own joke. _'What have you done now Ollie!"_ She cursed Oliver with her thoughts. Autumn was sitting in an armored car with a very dangerous man all because Oliver had done a very stupid act.

"What has he done to make you so angry? Whatever he is done, I will personally make sure he undoes it and apologizes." She pursed her lips, waiting for his reply, which came after a long pause.

"You see, he stole something from me, something very valuable, and if he does not return it… well I'm afraid I will have to take certain measures of my own to insure I have what was taken from me." The smoke was thinning a bit, and Autumn thought she glimpsed a shine of blond hair, but before she could see more the car door opened and someone grasped her arm, pulling her out of the car. Right when her feet touched the pavement, the door closed and the car sped away, going someplace that Autumn never wished to visit.

She pushed past the tide of people who were moving against her. Her mind was racing with thoughts. What was she to do now? She had already known that Oliver had gotten into a spot of trouble, and that he had fled England because he said there was no choice. Why did he not just give back what he stole in the first place? No, the real question was why did he steal from a mob boss in the first place. Autumn knew that Oliver could be a little impulsive, but she never thought he could be so stupid.

It had happened four months ago. She remembered sitting alone in the brownstone's kitchen sipping hot tea and going over the blueprints of a casino, trying to decide how hard it would be to get passed the standard security measures all casino's had. Suddenly, the door had been thrown open, footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Oliver rushed into the kitchen. Frantically looking at her, he rushed past her to the little door hidden behind a curtain. He pulled the door open and took out one of the emergency backpack from the pile we kept hidden in case we had to leave fast. The bags were filled with currency from various countries, fake passports, and virtually anything needed to go undetected for months at a time if you were smart.

"I have to leave right now, Autumn. You will not see me for maybe a long time, so can you tell Will that I'm okay for now and that he shouldn't worry about me or find me. Tell him to live his life as if I was on a vacation. It is going to be very dangerous for all of us if he stirs up the air." He spouted all of this at her while looking through the bag to make sure everything he needed was with him. "One last thing." He said, "Only you will now where to find me the first two months, than I'll be in New York. You can tell Will where I am in two months, but otherwise keep it to yourself. And Autumn, if anyone comes up to you saying I stole something from them, tell them I no longer have it, and that they need to go find the falcon." And with that said he looked at her one last time and ran out the door.

Three months ago she had done as he said and continued on with her life, determined to not get involved with his mess again. Now she walked on the busy London street, thinking. Fifteen minutes of walking and cursing at Oliver she arrived at the brownstone. Running up the old twisting oak staircase, she went straight to the little door and pulled out her own insurance bag, wrote Charlie a note – "I need to get Will, I'll explain everything later, Love Autumn- and ran out the door.


End file.
